Polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) compacts are used in a variety of mechanical applications, for example in material removal operations, as bearing surfaces, and in in wire-draw operations. PCD compacts are often used in the petroleum industry in the removal of material in downhole drilling. The PCD compacts are often formed as cutting elements, a number of which are attached to drill bits, for example, roller-cone drill bits and fixed-cutter drill bits.
PCD compacts typically include a superabrasive diamond layer, referred to as a polycrystalline diamond body that is attached to a substrate. The polycrystalline diamond body may be formed in a high pressure high temperature (HPHT) process, in which diamond grains are held at pressures and temperatures at which the diamond particles bond to one another.
As is conventionally known, the diamond particles are introduced to the HPHT process in the presence of a catalyst material that, when subjected to the conditions of the HPHT process, promotes formation of inter-diamond bonds. The catalyst material may be embedded in a support substrate, for example, a cemented tungsten carbide substrate having cobalt. The catalyst material may infiltrate the diamond particles from the support substrate. Following the HPHT process, the diamond particles may be sintered to one another and attached to the support substrate.
While the catalyst material promotes formation of the inter-diamond bonds during the HPHT process, the presence of the catalyst material in the sintered diamond body after the completion of the HPHT process may also reduce the stability of the polycrystalline diamond body at elevated temperatures. Some of the diamond grains may undergo a back-conversion to a softer non-diamond form of carbon (for example, graphite or amorphous carbon) at elevated temperatures. Further, mismatch of the coefficients of thermal expansion may induce stress into the diamond lattice causing microcracks in the diamond body. Back-conversion of diamond and stress induced by the mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion may contribute to a decrease in the toughness, abrasion resistance, and/or thermal stability of the PCD compact during operation.
In certain PCD compacts, catalyst material that is present in the interstitial volumes between the inter-bonded diamond grains may be removed. Removal of the catalyst material from the interstitial volumes may improve the performance characteristics of the PCD compact. However, removal of material from the interstitial volumes may exhibit an increased likelihood of re-infiltration of foreign substances into the interstitial volumes.
Accordingly, polycrystalline diamond compacts that reduce re-infiltration into the depleted interstitial volumes between bonded diamond grains may be desired.